• Warehouse blaze triggers massive firefighting operation
• 18 tenders deployed; seven shops damaged while adjoining establishments saved
• 16 fires reported in Jammu within five hours; department releases CCTV footage to counter delay allegations
Srinagar|Nov, 09: Jammu witnessed an exceptionally high number of fire emergencies during the past 24 hours, with 60 incidents reported across Jammu Province, including 35 in Jammu district alone, as Fire and Emergency Services mounted extensive firefighting operations amid multiple emergencies during the Diwali festive period.
The situation placed considerable demands on the department’s operational capacity, with 16 fire incidents reported in Jammu district within approximately five hours, beginning 7 pm on November 8. Several major fires broke out at different locations, requiring simultaneous mobilisation of firefighting personnel, vehicles and equipment.
Among the major incidents was a fire at a warehouse-cum-shopping premises reported at 9.18 pm, where grocery and ration items, including cooking oil and ghee, were stored. Given the nature of the material inside the premises and the possibility of the fire spreading to adjoining commercial establishments, a large-scale firefighting operation was launched.
As many as 18 fire tenders from different fire stations and strategically deployed locations were mobilised to tackle the blaze. Fire tenders stationed at Gole Market, Gandhi Nagar and Gangyal were also pressed into service.
According to the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, CCTV footage from the Smart City camera installed at Asian Hotel Crossing showed fire tenders proceeding towards the site at 9.38 pm. Three additional fire tenders reached the location within approximately ten minutes thereafter.
The fire was brought under control within approximately one-and-a-half hours, followed by cooling operations to prevent any further spread or recurrence. While approximately seven shops sustained fire damage, firefighters managed to save a large number of adjoining shops from being engulfed by the blaze.
The operation was conducted with the assistance of Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the District Administration.
The department has also issued a clarification over allegations circulating on social media that Fire and Emergency Services took approximately one-and-a-half hours to reach the warehouse fire site.
Referring to official deployment records and CCTV footage, the department said the emergency call was received at 9.18 pm, while the footage at Asian Hotel Crossing showed fire tenders proceeding towards the site at 9.38 pm, with three additional tenders reaching approximately ten minutes later.
The department maintained that the available records did not substantiate the allegation of a one-and-a-half-hour delay in the arrival of firefighting services.
Earlier, at 8.37 pm, another major fire was reported in a five-storeyed residential-cum-commercial building at Pahari Mohalla. Four fire tenders from Gandhi Nagar Fire Station and two from City Fire Station were immediately mobilised.
The fire tenders from City Fire Station reached the location at 8.44 pm, within seven minutes of the incident being reported. Additional firefighting resources were subsequently deployed, taking the total number of fire tenders engaged in the operation to seven.
The blaze was brought under control in approximately 45 minutes, following which cooling operations were undertaken to ensure that there was no further spread of fire.
Another emergency was reported at 10.28 pm at Garden Estate, where a marriage tent caught fire. Four fire tenders from the nearest available locations were immediately mobilised and reached the site within approximately seven to eight minutes.
An additional fire tender from Bari Brahmana Fire Station was also dispatched as reinforcement. The fire was brought under control in approximately half an hour, followed by cooling operations.
The series of emergencies continued later in the night when, at 11.40 pm, a fire broke out on the third floor of Janta Medical Store at Shalimar, situated in a four-storeyed building.
Fire tenders from City Fire Station, along with additional firefighting units from other locations, were mobilised. The first fire tender reached the site at 11.46 pm, six minutes after the incident was reported. The total deployment subsequently reached five fire tenders.
The blaze was brought under control in approximately half an hour, followed by cooling operations.
In view of the Diwali celebrations, Fire and Emergency Services had made advance arrangements by positioning fire tenders at strategic locations across Jammu district, including Gole Market, Gandhi Nagar and Gangyal, to ensure prompt response to emergencies.
Besides these special deployments, regular fire stations also remained operational and responded to the reported incidents.
The department said that despite the unusually high number of fire incidents and multiple major emergencies occurring within a short span, its teams responded to all reported emergencies. The coordinated efforts of Fire and Emergency Services, Police, SDRF and the District Administration helped contain the fires and prevent their further spread.
The incidents have once again brought the importance of fire safety and emergency preparedness into focus, particularly during festive occasions when commercial establishments, residential buildings and temporary structures require heightened precautions.
With 60 incidents reported across Jammu Province in just 24 hours, the scale of firefighting operations also highlighted the pressure on emergency response infrastructure when multiple incidents occur simultaneously.
The department’s advance positioning of fire tenders at key locations and mobilisation of additional resources played an important role in responding to the emergencies, particularly in Jammu city, where several major fires were reported within a few hours.
